Car-loader.



No.'870,294. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

J. H. HUHN & G. F. ICE.

GAR LOADER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 12.1905.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTORS I VfTNESSES."

No. 870,294. I PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

J. H. HUHN & G. PLIGE.

GAR LOADEE.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 12.1905.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2 No. 870,294. PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

J. H. HUHN & G. F. ICE.

UAR LOADBR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12.1905.

3 SHEBTS-SHEE.T 3-- THE NORRIS PETERS cm, wasnmcmzv, o. c

UNTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. HUHN AND CHARLES F. ICE, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND imsnn wns'r VIRGINIA, A oonronarron or ASSIGNMENTS, TO FAIRMONT BOX GAR LOADER COMPANY, OF FAIRMONT,

WEST VIRGINIA.

OAR-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. HUHN and CHARLES F. Ion, citizens of the United States, residing at Fairmont, in the county of Marion and State of West V ginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (ar-Loaders. of which the following is a specification. reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanisms adapted to distribute material or deliver material to a desired point by an action of the nature of rapid shoveling or centrifugal throwing.

The objects of the invention include the following; namely: The producing of a strong. durable apparatus of this sort having a receiving casingand a rotary distributer or shoveling device, together with means for firmly mounting and supporting the operative parts, and an engine or motor mechanism for driving them.

Machines have been heretofore made or proposed, which were intended for delivering grain or light and easily handled material into cars and for distributing it therein; and some have even been proposed for the handling of heavy material such as coal. But so far as we are aware, no coal loading machines for cars constructed 011 the plan here referred to have been demonstrated successful. We have succeeded in overcoming the ditlicultics that have been incident to those heretofore proposed. and have illustrated in the drawings a machine embodying our improvements.

Figure l is a plan view of a car loading or material propelling and distributing mechanism constructed in accordance with our invention, part of a car being also shown more or less conventionally. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the propelling or distributing apparatus. Fig. 4 is a vertical section transverse to the axis of the operative parts. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in section showing means for supporting the rotary casing from the front end of the carriage. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.

In the drawings we have shown the operative parts of the mechanism supported upon a platform or in a housing by the side of an ordinary car-track. this being indicated as a whole by A. There is also shown conventionally a portion of an ordinary box freight car at B. Upon the platform A there is provided a track having rails A, with stops A and upon these'there is mounted a truck having the platform and the truck wheels D D fitted to the rails at A. The rear or outer portion of this truck frame is indicated by O and the forward or inner portion by 0 Upon the outer part l l I I r l I l I l I i i I i 1 C is mounted a motor E which for many reasons we prefer to be of the form of an electric motor, coupled directly to the driving shaft of the distributing device. The armature shaft F projects forward somewhat beyond the motor and is connected to the driving shaft G by universal coupling at H. The driving shaft G we have found must be capable of being relieved of excessive load after a certain limit of resistance has been reached. Suchyielding and stoppage of the shaft may be provided for by having a friction clamp coupling interposed between the driving shaft element and the part at G, but we have found that all of these ends of our invention can be attained by inserting the outer end of the shaft G into the sleeve or hub H of the coupling II and securing it there by a breakable device such as a wooden pin h.

The shaft G is ext ended forward a relatively long distance and is passed through a hollow sleeve or shaft I. The latter is so formed, or provided with bushings, that long bearings therein shall be fin'nished for the rapidly rotating interior shaft G, and at these bearings the sleeve or hollow shaft I is mounted in external bearings at K, K. Between the bearings 21. large oil cavity is provided because of the diameter of the interior shaft G being considerably smaller than the interior diameter of the surrounding shaft or sleeve I. The lubricant is supplied from a receptacle I and tends to flow in either direction and finally reaches the interior bearings of the driving shaft.

The propelling apparatus or distributing device comprises an external casing or shell, indicated as an entirety by L, and an interior head indicated, as a whole, by M. The shell or casing part L is formed of a support or carrier Z at the outer end, a ring wall or annulus l at the inner end, the peripheral wall 1 and binding and clamping devices Preferably the supporting and carrying wall at Z is of the nature of a disk cast with a hub l by means of which it can be rigidly secured to the external sleeve or hollow shaft I. At Z there is a curved groove or recess formed in the inner face of this support or carrier Z, and at Z there is a corresponding curved recess or groove formed in the opposite face of the ring wall or annulus Z. Peripheral wall Z has its edges curved to conform to the grooves Z and L and when in place is tightly fitted therein. The three parts are firmly clamped together by means of the series of rods or bolts Z which pass through aper- .100 tures in the ring wall Z and the disk wall Z. These clamping rods or bolts are on lines immediately outside of the outside surface of the peripheral wall Z and serve to not only clamp together the ring walls the disk walls and the peripheral wall, but also to reinforce 10 5 and brace the peripheral wall against bulging or bending outward. In this way a firmly built support is provided to hold the material While it is being impelled by the rotary parts. The rotary head M also comprises a disklike part m and ring or annulus m; and these are connected by the propelling blades or vanes N. This rotary head is litt ed as snugly as possible in the casing, the outer edges of the vanes or blades N moving close to the inner surface of the peripheral wall Z- and the parts at m and m lying closely adjacent to the walls Z and Z of the casing.

The vanes or ribs N are formed with two operative faces a and n which lie in non-radial planes in relation to the axis, that at n being tangential to a cylinder concentric with the axis at a line on one side thereof, while that at n is tangential to the same cylinder but at a line on the opposite side of the axis. In other words, the two working faces n and n converge outwardly and preferably uniformly in relat ionto the axial plane passing centrally through the blade. In consequence the rotary parts can be reversed, and will op erate with similar efliciency in either direction of rotation. A

Each blade has its inner edge n and its outer edge n parallelto each other and to the axis, said edges extending continuously from the surface of the disk wall m to the ring wall m. The inner edges n are in lines quite remote from the axis of the distributing headand there is consequently left a large unobstructed space around the center between the inner edges of the blades as will be seen in Fig. 4, this space or chamber extending continuously across the head tothe inner surface of the disk wall m.

We are aware of the fact that it has been heretofore proposed to construct a loading device with a disk wall at one end and a ring at the other end connected by blades or vanes each varying in width from one end toward the other, and these blades or vanes being secured to the hub at the disk end where they are relatively wide and being narrowed towards the ring end where the material enters. We have found that this is disadvantageous in that the material is unevenly propelled outward because of the varying peripheral speeds of the different parts of the surfaces of the tapering blades. In our construct ionthe throwing or shoveling blades are all of uniform Width and yet so arranged as to leave a large central opening for the introduction of the material, which opening is at the center unobstruct ed by a shaft or other impeding device; and consequently large blocks of material, such as blocks of coal, can readily enter and be centrifugally propelled.

To insurethe freedom of exit of the rapidly flying material we give a conical shape to that part at m of the surface ofthe ring m which is near its periphery, and form the conical surface m on the corresponding opposite part ofthe inner surfaceof the disk wheel m.

A serious impediment to successful use of mechanisms of this sort in the distributing or propelling of coal has been the liability for slack or fine material to crowd between the external moving surfaces of the rotary head and the opposite stationary surfaces of the disk wall Z and the ring wall Z of the casing, and suchincrowding material increases the resistance by choking the parts to such an extent that stoppage or break-v age results. This we have overcome by providing a series of escape apertures O in the ring wall I and also apertures or escape passages P in the disk wall Z. As the rotary ring wall m and the stationary ring wall Z are comparatively narrow, the fine material that gets between them is readily and rapidly crowded out through the apertures 0; but as the area of the external surface of the rotary disk in is much larger we profer to employ one or more cleaners as shOWn at Q, secured to the outer face of the disk m. As the revolving head is rotating the cleaner or cleaners cut the accumulated material loose and cause it to escape through the passages at P.

As will be seen upon examination of the drawings, all the parts of the rotary head are thick and strong and are formed as an integral casting, capable of withstanding the shocks and blows experienced when the blades strike against heavy objects, as lumps of coal.

We prefer to employ ribs or projections N arranged radially or tangentially on the inner face of the rotary disk m These assist in starting the material away from the axis and giving it an initial impulse so that it can be more rapidly picked up and advanced by the blades or vanes l.

The casing or shell L beingconnected to the sleeve I is capable of being adjusted axially. The peripheral wall 1 does not extend entirely around the axis, but is formed to leave an opening of suitable size, as shown at R. The casing can be adjusted around the axis so as to bring this opening to higher or lower positions as,

it is desired to deliver the material along one line or another vertically. The same construction and arrangement of parts permits the casing to be reversed, that is to say, turned far enough to have the opening R turned in the opposite direction so that material can be first delivered at one end of the car and then delivered at the other. This axial adjustment of the easing is effected by means of a worm at S, (which can be rotated at any time by hand wheel T) and the worm wheel U at the outer end of the sleeve or. hollow shaft I, and secured thereto.

The manner of operating the mechanism above described will be readily understood. The box car to be loaded is moved up to such position in relation to platform A that the transverse lines of the doorways in its side walls coincide with the lines of the track i Then the truck 0 is moved forward so as to introduce its front end into the car and bring the distributing device to the desired point. Then a spout or chute V is introduced into the car through the opposite side door and its end brought to such point that it will cleanly deliver the coal or other material to the interior of the casing L. The casing is adjusted by the worm wheel to the proper position and the motor is set in operation and the distributing head M rapidly rotated. The coal or other material is passed down the chute or spout V and as soon as it enters the casing itis caught by the rapidly rotating blades and is in engagement with them long enough to receive a high speed. As soon as it reaches the opening R it is driven out to the desired place. This is continued until one end of the car is loaded, after which the casing is'reversed sufficiently to turn the opening R in the opposite direction, the head is reversed in rotation, and the loading of the other end of the car proceeded with.

In Figs. 6 and 7 we have shown a roller bearing support for the rotary casing. A support of'this type may be employed wherever a loader of our construction is used for loading relatively large or heavy pieces of material, such for example as lump coal. W represents a transversely arranged bearing standard having its ends secured to the inner portion C of the truck frame. This standard has the bearings 10, to parallel with the casing L and arranged one on either side of the vertical axial plane of the said casing. X are shafts fitted into and extending beyond the said bearings at either end, and Y Y are rollers fitted on either end of the said shafts X and adapted to engage with the peripheries of the carrier land ring wall Z and to support the casing L. These rollers provide a rolling support for the casing which permits its easy adjustment about the axis of the shaft G. In Figs. 6 and 7 we have also shown angle irons Z", Z secured to the wall 1 of the casing at the edges of the opening R therein for the purpose of reinforcing said wall at these points.

What we claim is 1. The combination of a relatively stationary casing, a rotary distributing device in the casing, both supported at one side of the casing, and the driving shaft for the distributing device, said casing having an outer end wall with-a central feed opening an inner end wall centrally secured to a holder or support and a peripheral wall with a discharge opening, and said rotary distributing device having an inner ring wall adjacent and parallel to the inner wall of the casing and an outer disk wall with blades or vanes connecting the ring wall and the disk wall, substantially asset forth. I

2. The combination of a relatively stationary casing, a rotary distributing device in the casing, both supported at one side of the casing, and the driving shaft for the distributing device, said casing having an inner ring end wall with a central feed opening, an outer disk end wall centrally secured to a holder or support and a peripheral wall with a discharge opening, and said rotary distributing device having an inner ring wall adjacent and parallel to the inner wall of the casing, and an outer disk wall with blades or vanes connecting the ring wall and the disk wall, said blades or vanes being from end to end remote from the central support of the distributing device, said parts being constructed and arranged substantially as set forth whereby material can be introduced centrally through an unobstructed passage in the two inner ring walls.

3;. The combination with a relatively stationary casing having an inner ring end wall and a central feed opening and an outer disk wall centrally secured to a holder or support, of an interior distributing device having an innerring wall adjacent and parallel to the ring wall of the casing an outer disk wall and blades or vanes connecting the ring wall to the disk wall and a driving shaft secured to the disk wall of the rotary distributing device and extending through the casing support, said parts being constructed and arranged substantially as set forth, whereby the loader can receive the material through an unobstructed central passage way on the side opposite to the casing support, as described.

l. The combination of the casing having suitable inlet and discharge orifices, a driving shaft, and a rotary distributing head having a disk wall at the outer end secured to said shaft, and a ring wall at the inner end disconnected from the shaft but having a centrally unobstructed central inlet opening or feed orifice, and blades or vanes cast integrally with the said ring wall and said disk wall and having their inner edges from end to end situated on lines remote from the axis, whereby an open space is provided between the axis and the said inner edges of the blades from end to end of the latter, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the casing, of the driving shaft, and the rotary distributing head secured thereto, said rotary head having an outer end wall, and an inner end wall with opposite outward diverging faces and having blades extending from the outer end wall to the inner end wall and arranged to have an open space between the central shaft support and the inner edges of the blades,

said open space extending continuously from one of said walls to the other, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a driving shaft, 'the rotary distributing head secured to the shaft, said head having at the outer end a disk and at the inner end a centrally open ring with blades or vanes extending from the ring to the disk, the disk, the ring and the blades being cast integrally together, and a-casing surrounding the head and having at its inner end a'relatively stationary ring adjacent to the rotary head ring with a centrally unobstructed central feed opening and a peripheral .discharge opening, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the inclosing casing, of a driving shaft, and a rotary distributing head secured to said shaft, said distributing head having an outer disk wall secured to the shaft an inner ring-like Wall or annulus and blades or vanes cast integral with the disk wall and the ring wall, said blades each having two opposite and outwardly converging working faces, substantially as set forth.

S. The combination with the casing, of the rotary dis tributing head, and the driving shaft therefor, the head having an outer disk wall connected to the driving shaft and an inner ring Wall with a central feed opening and having blades or vanes, each blade or vane having two nonradial outwardly converging working faces, and said disk wall and ring wall having their opposite faces made to outwardly diverge, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with a rotary distributing head, of a casing inclosing more or less of said head, said casing having an outer disklike end wall an inner ring-like end wall and a peripheral wall arranged on a curved line of a radius shorter than the radii of the ring wall and the disk wall, and connecting and clamping bolts joining the disk wall and the ring wall on lines outside of the peripheral wall, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a rotary distributing head, of a casing inclosing more or less of said head, said casing having an outer disk like end wall with a curved groove or recess therein, an inner ring-like end wall having a curved groove or recess therein, a peripheral wall having its edges inserted in the said grooves or recesses in the end walls, and clamping and connecting bolts joining the ring wall and the disk wall of the casing on lines outside of the said peripheral wall, substantially as set forth.

11. In a car loading mechanism, the combination of the driving shaft, the rotary head secured thereto having at its outer end a disk-like wall and having shoveling blades, and the casing having at its outer end a disk wall provided with apertures for the escape of material adjacent to the outer face of the rotary head disk, and means for removing the said material from the casing disk, substantially as set forth.

12. In a car loading mechanism, the combination of the driving shaft, the rotary head secured thereto having at its inner end a ring wall and at its outer end a disk-like wall with shoveling blades connecting the said walls, and the casing having at its inner end a ring-like wall provided with escape apertures O, and at its outer end a disk wall having escape passages P, substantially as set forth. Y

13. In a car loading mechanism, the combination with the longitudinally movable carriage, the rotary head, the driving shaft connected thereto, the casing surrounding the rotary head and having the elongated sleeve surrounding the driving shaft, of the combined adjusting and locking mechanism for the casing consisting of the worm wheel secured to the sleeve, the worm mounted on the carriage and engaging with the worm wheel, and manual devices for rotating the worm, substantially as set forth.

1-1. In a car loading mechanism, the combination with the truck frame, of the casing having an outer disk-like end wall, an inner ringdike end wall and aperipheral wall having an opening therethrough for the escape of material from the casing, the rotary distributing head, the roller bearings supporting said casing, means for rotating the casing and means for rotating said distributing head.

15. The combination of the rotary distributing head,

the casing inclosing more or less of said head, and comprising inner and outer end walls and a peripheral wall having an opening therethrough for the escape of material, the roller bearings arranged to support said casing at points at either side of the vertical axial plane of the casing, and means for rotating the casin 16. The combination with a rotary distributing head, of a casing inclosing more or less of said 'head and comprising inner and outer end Walls, and a peripheral wall having a discharge passageway therethrough for the material, and the bars for reinforcing the edges of said peripheral wall at either side of the said opening.

17. In a box car loader, the combination of a casing having material-receiving and discharge openings, a rotary distributing device in said casing, said rotary distributing device having an inner ring wall, an outer wall and blades or vanes connecting the inner ring wall with the outer wall, and means for rotating said distributing device.

18. In a box car loader, the combination of a casing having material-receiving and discharge openings, a rotary distributing device in said casing, said rotary distributing device having an inner ring Wall, an outer Wall and blades or vanes connecting the inner ring Wall with the outer wall, means for rotating said distributing device, and means for rotating said casing to position its dis charge opening as desired.

15). In a box car loader, the combination of a casing arranged to receive the material to be loaded, a rotary distributer in said casing adapted to direct the said material therefrom, said rotary distributer having an inner ring wall, an outer wall and blades or vanes connecting the said walls, and means for rotating said distributing device.

20. In a box car loader, the combination of arranged to receive the material to be loaded, distributer in said casing adapted to direct the said material therefrom, said rotary distributer having an inner ring wall, an outer, wall and blades or vanes connecting the said walls, means for rotating said distributing device, and means for adjusting said casing to vary the point of delivery therefrom.

a casing a rotary 21. In a box car loader, the combination of a rotatable casing having an axially arranged material-receiving opening and a peripherally arranged discharge opening, a rotary distributer Within said casing having an inner ring wall adjacent to the casing wall having the said material-receiving opening in it, an outer wall, and a series of blades or vanes arranged adjacent to the periphery of said casing and connecting said outer and inner walls, and means for rotating said distributing device.

22. In a box car loader, the combination of a rotatable casing having an axially arranged mate ial-receiving opening and a peripherally arranged discharge opening, a rotary distributer within said casing having an inner ring wall adjacent to the casing wall having the said material-receiving opening in it, an outer wall, and a series of'blades or vanes arranged adjacent to the periphery or said casing and connecting said outer and inner walls, means for rotating said distributing device, and means for rotating said casing to position its discharge opening as desired.

23. In a car loading mechanism, the combination of a rotary shaft, a distributing head secured thereto having at its inner end a ring wall and at its outer end a disklike wall with shoveling blades connecting the said walls, and a casing having at its inner end a material-receiving opening, a peripheral discharge opening. and a series of escape apertures 0 extending through its inner wall and adjacent to its periphery.

2-1. In a car loading mechanism, the combination of a movable carriage, a rotary material-receiving casing mounted thereon to rotate about a horizontal axis and having a peripheral discharge opening, a rotary distributing device in said casing, anti friction bearings for supporting the casing, means for rotating the casing, and means for rotating said distributing device.

In testimony whereof we atfiX our signatures, in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOHN H. HUI IN. CHAS. 1". ICE.

Witnesses W. S. MAYEns, NOAH KELLEY. 

